Method of mounting transfer decorations



Dec. 4, 1934. T. s. REESE 1,982,927

METHOD OF MOUNTING TRANSFER DECORATION Filed Jan. 4, 1933 Thomas 5. Reese,

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Patented Dec. 4, 1934 UNITED STATES METHOD or MOUNTING TRANSFER DECORATIONS- Thomas s. Reese, Cleveland, Ohio Application January 4,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of mounting transfer decorations.

One well known type of transfer decoration consists of a continuous film of lacquer, resin, or

v the like composition, carried upon a backing of decalcomania paper, said continuous film carrying a printed, lithographed, or rotogravured design. Such a continuous film transfer decoration may be made up in any of the well known ways such as are described in my copending application Serial No. 636,175, filed October 4, 1932.

Continuous film transfer decorations are commonly mounted by applying one or more coats of primer and/or surfacer to a base material, setting the primer or surfacer, sanding the surfacer, applying a mist coat thereon; a suitable cement such as ethyl lactate diluted with water is then applied to the surfacer or primer, the decoration laid down on the tacky surfacer or primer, the ethyl lactate then eliminated, the transfer backing, of decalcomania paper or the like, stripped off, either before or after elimination of the solvent, and the base material, with the decoration thereon, air dried, force dried, or 25 baked. Where such a method is practiced with base materials such as wall board, ply wood, plaster board, cardboard, or wood, the rough surface of the base material, even though covered by a surfacer, manifests itself sufilciently in the finished product partially to destroy the decorative value thereof. The mist coat aids in some measure in obtaining an even flowing out of the surfacer and in the elimination of sandpaper scratches so as to improve the decorative quality of the finished product.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel method of mounting transfer decorations, by which a superior decorative quality is obtained, by which the mist coat may be eliminated, if 40 desired, by which superior adhesion between the decoration and the base material is attained, and by which economy of manufacture is effected.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear in the following detailed description.

While this invention may be practiced in mounting continuous film transfer decorations made in the various ways described in my aforementioned patent, this invention finds especial usefulness for mounting a continuous film transfer decoration made by spreading or otherwise applying a single film of the spirit or lacquer type, or of the resin type, or the resin and oil type, or'combinations thereof, upon a backing of 55 decalcomania paper, setting the film by any suitable treatment, such as force drying or baking, and printing, lithographing, or rotogravuring a design on the set film. By limiting the transfer decoration to a single film the cost of the decoration is minimized while the necessity for obviat 1933, Serial No. 650,14 (Cl. 41-33) ing blemishes due to the nature or condition of the base material is increased due to the thinness of the decorative film.

According to this invention the base materials may be of any kind although the invention is especially useful with those base materials having a rough surface such as wall board, e. g., Celotex, Masonite, Insulite, Beaver Board; plaster board such as Sheet Rock; ply wood such as Tego, Haskelite, Algoma; natural wood, cardboard. The surface of the base material is coated with a surfacer of a conventional type. v The surfacer may be of any of the lacquer or spirit type, the polymerizable and/or oxidizable type, or a combination of those two types. 76

A formula for a spirit or lacquer type surfacer useful in practicing this invention is as follows:

Whiting 1# Lithopone 1# Silica 1# R. S. nitrocellulose 1 Blown castor oil Ethyl acetate 1 pints Butyl acetate 1 pint Butanol pint Toluol 3 pints A formula of the polymerizable and/or oxidizable type useful as a surfacer in practicing this A surfacer of the combination of lacquer and polymerizable and/ or oxidizable resin types useful in practicing this invention is as follows:

Rezyl, 2

R. S. A? nitrocellulose 1 m5 Ferrite yellow.... 3 Mineral filler 2 Silica 1 Blown castor oil A Ethyl acetate 1. /2 pints Butyl acetate 1 Butanol Toluol 3 The surfacer may be applied to the base material by spraying, or in any other suitable manner, one or more sufiiciently heavy coats being laid down to completely fill up the pores of the surface of the base material, and, so far as possible, to afio'rda smooth surface. The surfacer is then set, either by elimination of the solvent in the case of the lacquer type or the combination lacquer and resin type of surfacer, or in the case of the polymerizable and/or oxidizable type of surfacer, the surfacer may be partially set by baking or force drying for a short period of time. The set surfacer is then sanded, as by scuff sanding, previous to the application of the decoration thereon. A suitable cement such as ethyl lactate diluted with water is then applied either to the surfacer or to the decoration or to both and the decoration applied to the surfacer with the cement interposed therebetween. The decoration may be pressed into good contact with the surfacer by passing the base material with the decoration thereon through squeeze rollers. The built up product is then baked with the transfer backing still remaining on the decoration. The baking is carried on in any ordinary oven, at substantially atmospheric pressure, although forced draft may cause deviations from atmospheric pressure. After the baking operation has been completed the paper may be removed and the decorated article put into use or, if the article is to be handled as inshipping or storing, the transfer backing may be left on the finished article until such a time-as it is'desired to place the decorated article in use when the paper backing is stripped off. It hasbe'en found that, by leaving the paper backing onthe decorated article while baking, a greatly improved decorative quality is obtained as compared to that resulting when the transfer backing is stripped off prior to baking. Also by leaving the transfer backing on the decoration during baking the mist coat may be dispensed with and all sand scratches left in the surface, any roughness in the surfacer due to the roughness of the base material, and air bubbles formed during the application of the decoration are eliminated thereby leaving the resulting product substantially blemish-free. It readily will be understood that by using a decoration consisting of only a single'fiim having the design printed or lithographed thereon, by eliminating the mist coat, by the use of only a single coat or surfacer, (or reducing the number of coats of surfacer), and by the process of mounting the transfer decoration according to this invention, a very substantial economy in the manufacture of a beautifully decorated article is attained.

The substance of the decoration may be of any of the wide variety such as are disclosed in my afore-mentioned patent. The cement for uniting the decoration to the surfacer may be a diluent, such as water, withany of a variety of solvents such as methyl cellosolve (ethylene glycolmono methyl ether) ,'diacetone alcohol, ethyloxy butyrate, cellosolve (ethylene glycolmono ethyl ether), carbitol (diethylene glycolmono ethyl ether), furfuryl alcohol, and ethyl lactate. Any of the common lacquer solvents with hydrocarbon or petroleum diluents, such as ethyl lactate diluted with Xylol may be employed in practicing this invention. It may be desirable to employ those solvent cements which have a boiling range higher than the average such, for example, as diacetone alcohol or ethyl lactate diluted with water. a

While it is not intended to confine this invention to any particular theory of operation the following theory is offered by way of explanation of the invention. It is believed that by baking the mounted decoration with the backing remaining thereon that the solvent of the cement is blanketed and retained longer than would be the case if the paper backing were removed and, it is believed, that the retained solvent operates to effect an even flowingout of the surfacer and the elimination of sand scratches, and also serve better to unit the surfacer and the decoration.

Heating the solvent cement while it is blanketed and retained beneath the transfer backing also increases the, solvent action of the cement. By using solvent cements of higher than the average boiling range, as before mentioned, the solvent cement is retained longer during which time it effects the solvent action. This action is effective on the substanceof both the surfacer and the decoration. Thus a more secure union between the decoration and the surfacer is obtained and blemishes due to the condition of the surfacer are largely eliminated. While the mist coat is not essential in the practice of this invention, yet this invention is not circumvented by using the mist coat in accordance with the usual practice. Baking with the transfer backing on the decoration is considered an essential feature of novelty of this invention.

Economy in the manufacture of decorated articles may further be efiected by incorporating suitable coloring ingredients, pigments or dyes, in the surfacer which will form a background for the printed, lithographed or rotogravured design carried by the transfer decoration. That constituent color provided by the surfacer, may then be left out of the decoration thus saving a printing or coating operation and substituting in place thereof the relatively inexpensive practice of incorporating suitable color into the surfacer.

The decoration may be of any of a variety of compositions such for example as are disclosed in my afore-mentioned' patent. One suitable formula for the decoration, by which this invention may be practiced, being as follows:

R. S. nitrocellulose 1 Ester gum Blown castor oil l# Ethyl acetate 1 pints Butyl acetate 1 pint Butanol /2 pint Toluol 3 pints The time and temperature of baking the ensemble will vary as determined by the composition of the surfacer and of the decoration as well as the natureof the base material. After the baking operation has been-completed and the paper backing removed the surface of the decoration may be washed free of the gum commonly carried by decalcomania paper. The finished decoration affords a semi-fiat finish and no further application of any coating material is needed. Flatting agents such as aluminum stearate, infusorial earth, and the like may be used in the decorative film. to get a flat finish. The decorative film, of itself, both aiTords decorative quality and protection for the surface to which it is applied. If desired. the decorative filmmay -be polished. l

The transfer backing commonly used is decal comania paper although this invention could be practiced with backing materials of other kinds.

While this invention has been described in detail useful where the transfer film and/or surfacer is built up in a plurality of coats.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a view, in elevation, illustrating a transfer decoration being mounted according to this invention.

Figure 2 is a view, in cross-section and elevation, showing a transfer decoration, in mounted position, being baked with the transfer backing on according to this invention.

As shown in the drawing the base material 1 which may be of wall board, plywood, cardboard or the like carries a coat of surfacer 2 which has been applied to the base material 1 in any suitable and conventional manner. The surfacer 2, when dry, may be scuff sanded. The transfer decoration consists of the backing of decalcomania paper 3 having a coat of gum sizing 4 upon which the transfer decoration 5 is formed and to which the transfer decoration adheres temporarily. The transfer decoration 5 may consist of a continuous film of cellulose derivative composition or conventional composition, but of a composition such as disclosed in my copending application hereinbefore mentioned. The continuous film may bear a design which is formed thereon by printing, lithographing, rotogravuring, stenciling or in any suitable manner. A film of solvent cement such as ethyl lactate diluted with water is applied on the surface of the transfer decoration pressed gently thereon. The ensemble is then baked in oven 6 with the transfer paper backing 3 remaining in mounted position. After the baking operation has been completed the paper backing is then removed.

While this invention has been described in detail by way of illustration, it is not intended so to limit the invention as variations in the materials employed and in the nature and sequence of the steps involved may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. In the art of decorating the steps of: applying a film of decorative composition onto a transfer backing; setting the decorative film; forming a design on the decorative film; applying a coat of surfacer onto a base material of the type exemplified by wall board, ply wood, plaster board, wood, cardboard and the like; setting the surfacer; sanding the surfacer; interposing a cement between the surfacer and the decoration and applying the decoration to the surfacer, baking the ensemble at substantially atmospheric pressure with the transfer backing thereon.

2. In the art of decorating the steps of: applying a film of decorative composition onto a transfer backing; setting the decorative film; forming a design on the decorative film; applying a coat of surfacer onto a base material of the type exemplified by wall board, ply wood, plaster board, wood, cardboard, and the like; setting the surfacer, interposing a cement between the surfacer and the decoration and applying the decoration to the surfacer, baking the ensemble at substantially atmopheric pressure with the transfer backing thereon,

3. In the art of decorating the steps of: applying a film of decorative composition onto a backing of decalcomania paper; setting the decoration to form a hardened continuous film decoration; forming a design on the decorative film; applying a single coat of surfacer on a base material of the type exemplified by wall board, plaster board, ply wood, cardboard, and the like; setting the coat of surfacer into hardened condition; sanding the set surfacer; applying a cement of ethyl lactate diluted with water to the surfacer; applying the decoration to the tacky surfacer; baking the ensemble at substantially atmospheric pressure with the decalcomania paper thereon.

4. In the art of decorating the steps of: applying a film of decorative composition onto a backing of decalcomania paper; setting the decoration to form a hardened continuous film decora tion; forming a design on the decorative film; applying a. single coat of surfacer on a base material of the type exemplified by wall board plaster board, ply wood, cardboard, and the like; setting the coat of surfacer into hardened condition; applying a cement of ethyl lactate diluted with water to the surfacer; applying the decoration to the tacky surfacer; baking the ensemble at substantially atmospheric pressure with the decalcomania paper thereon.

5. In the art of decorating the steps of: applying a single coat of decorative composition onto a backing of decalcomania paper; setting'the decoration to form a hardened continuous film decoration; forming a design on the decorative film omitting a constituent color of said design; applying a single coat of surfacer onto a base material of the type exemplified by wall board, plaster board, ply wood, wood, cardboard, and the like; said surfacer being colored to provide the constituent color of the design omitted from the decorative film; setting the coat of surfacer into hardened condition; sanding the set surfacer; applying a cement of ethyl lactate diluted with water to the surfacer; applying the decoration to the tacky surfacer; baking the ensemble at substantially atmospheric pressure with the de- 2 calcomania paper thereon.

6. In the art of decorating the steps of applying a single coat of decorative composition onto a backing of decalcomania paper; setting the decoration to form a hardened continuous film 125 decoration; forming a design on the decorative film omitting a constituent color of said design, applying a single coat of surfacer onto a base material of the type exemplified by wall board, plaster board, ply wood, wood, cardboard, and the 1 like; said surfacer being colored to provide the constituent color of the design omitted from the decorative film; setting the coat of surfacer into hardened condition; applying a cement of ethyl lactate diluted with water to the surfacer; apply- 135 ing the decoration to the tacky surfacer; baking the ensemble at substantially atmospheric pressure with the decalcomania paper thereon.

THOMAS s. REESE. 

